Shanghai Museum
}} The Shanghai Museum ( ) is a museum of ancient Chinese art, situated on the People's Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai, China. History The museum was founded in 1952 and was first open to the public in the former Shanghai Racecourse club house, now at 325 West Nanjing Road. In 1959 the museum moved into the former Zhonghui Building at 16 South Henan Road, which previously housed insurance companies and bank offices. In 1992, the Shanghai municipal government allocated a piece of land on People's Square to the museum as its new site.Shanghai MuseumAmerican Friends of the Shanghai Museum Construction of the current building started in August 1993. It was inaugurated on October 12, 1996. It is 29.5 meters high with five floors, covering a total area of 39,200 m².Shanghai Museum Designed by local architect Xing Tonghe,American Friends of the Shanghai Museum the new museum building is designed in the shape of an ancient bronze cooking vessel called a ding. It is said that the inspiration for the design was specifically provided by the Da Ke Ding, now on exhibit in the museum. The building has a round top and a square base, symbolizing the ancient Chinese perception of the world as "round sky, square earth". Collections The museum has a collection of over 120,000 pieces, including bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, furniture, jades, ancient coins, paintings, seals, sculptures, minority art and foreign art. The Shanghai Museum houses several items of national importance, including one of three extant specimens of a "transparent" bronze mirror from the Han Dynasty. Galleries It has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls. The permanent galleries are:Shanghai Museum * Gallery of Ancient Chinese Bronze * Gallery of Ancient Chinese Sculpture * Gallery of Ancient Chinese Ceramics * Gallery of Ancient Chinese Jades * Gallery of Ancient Chinese Paintings * Gallery of Ancient Chinese Calligraphy * Gallery of Ancient Chinese Seals * Gallery of Ancient Chinese Numismatics * Gallery of Chinese furniture in Ming and Qing dynasties * Gallery of Arts and Crafts by Chinese Minorities Numismatic Collections The Museum has an important collection of ancient coins from the Silk Road, donated since 1991 by Linda and Roger Doo. The collection contains 1783 pieces from the Greeks to the Mongol Empire.Chen, Doo, and Wang, 2006 Selected publications *''Ancient Chinese Ceramic Gallery The Shanghai Museum''. Shanghai: Shanghai Classics Publishing House, 1996. (English & Mandarin Chinese edition.) ISBN 7532517217 References Bibliography Chen Xiejan, Doo R, Wang Yue (2006) Shanghai Museum's Collection of Ancient Coins from the Silk Road See also * List of museums in China External links * Shanghai Museum * China Museums * Shanghai Museum, from Seeraa International - See Real China for More * Shanghai Museum Pictures ca:Museu de Xangai de:Shanghai-Museum es:Museo de Shanghái fr:Musée de Shanghai ko:상하이 박물관 hy:Շանհայի թանգարան it:Museo di Shanghai he:מוזיאון שאנגחאי nl:Shanghai-museum ja:上海博物館 no:Shanghai museum ru:Шанхайский музей fi:Shanghain museo uk:Шанхайський музей zh-yue:上海博物館 zh:上海博物馆 Category:Museums in Shanghai Category:Art museums and galleries in China Category:ASEMUS museums Categoría:Shanghai Museum Categoría:Museo de Shanghái